CFRFGC Chapter 76

⌈”What does it look like?”⌋

Lu Ran remained silent for a while.

He spoke in a very low voice: “Anyone who’s been locked up in a hospital for ten years wouldn’t want to go back to that hellhole.”

Ji Min didn’t quite catch it and frowned, asking, “What?”

“I mean, what if you sell me into a hospital?” Lu Ran said loudly.

Ji Min: “…”

He glanced at Lu Ran and reached out to tap the boy’s forehead.

“Have a little self-awareness. Sell you into a hospital?”

Ji Min let out a mock laugh, sarcastically saying.

“Then the hospital director would probably cry and beg me in the middle of the night to take you back, questioning what it was about their hospital that made me throw such a disaster into their hands.”

Lu Ran: “…”

“Anyway, I don’t want to go.” He reached out and hugged Da Huang tightly.

Ji Min sighed. “What if I said it’s necessary for work?”

Lu Ran’s face showed shock.

Lu Ran: So you’re going to manipulate the overworked employees? Typical evil capitalist.

He visibly struggled.

But in the end, he said, “Then I’ll quit this job.”

Ji Min stared at him seriously for a moment but didn’t press further. He raised his hand and signaled the driver to change direction.

In his mind, he was wondering when to invite Dr. Keimler over.

Seeing the car turn at the intersection ahead, Lu Ran finally let out a breath of relief.

He asked, “So where are we going now?”

“To eat,” Ji Min sighed.

Lu Ran sat quietly in the back seat, watching Ji Min in silence.

Ji Min should be a very indifferent person.

This indifference isn’t in his words or his expressions, but in the overall attitude that he carries — a complete lack of concern for other people and their matters.

Now, in the dim light of the car, this person’s features showed a soft, blurred gentleness.

Lu Ran watched for a moment and then said, “Boss, don’t worry. I will definitely work hard.”

“Hm?” Ji Min froze for a moment.

Then he saw the boy in front of him clench his fist. “I’ll definitely make sure the rumors about you being amazing spread all over the city!”

Ji Min: “…”

Can you just be quiet?

The car stopped in front of Ji Min’s regular restaurant.

Thinking about the food they would have soon, Lu Ran became especially eager.

Like a little tail, he stood behind Ji Min’s wheelchair and diligently pushed it.

He pushed him all the way to the accessible entrance and then stopped.

Ji Min leaned back in the chair, enjoying the rare obedience of the boy.

When he noticed the wheelchair had stopped, he paused for a moment, then asked, “Why aren’t you pushing anymore?”

Just as he asked, he felt a weight shift behind him.

Turning his head, he saw Lu Ran with both feet on the footrest of the wheelchair, and his body resting against the back armrest.

With a righteous expression, Lu Ran said, “Boss, I’m a little tired. Don’t you have a remote control? You should conserve resources at a time like this…”

Ji Min almost laughed out of frustration.

“Do you think I’m your boss or your driver?” he asked with a bad temper.

Lu Ran, however, patted his shoulder from behind and urged, “Hurry up, hurry up, the food’s going to get cold!”

Ji Min: “…”

Sure enough, he’d spoiled him.

When he first started working, he wouldn’t let Lu Ran push, but the boy insisted.

And when he did push, it was a race.

Now, it’s the opposite — not only does he not have to push, but now he has to be carried.

The restaurant manager came out to greet them.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a bold young man lying across the back of Mr. Ji’s wheelchair.

And Mr. Ji actually endured all the hard work and complaints, bringing the person up with this somewhat odd posture.

After reaching the stairs, he didn’t even let the person get off but continued going forward with him, passing right by the restaurant manager and directly entering the restaurant.

From a distance, the once aloof and indifferent Mr. Ji seemed to transform into an old, hardworking ox pulling a cart.

He dutifully carried the boy on his back as they took in the view.

It wasn’t until they reached the private room that Ji Min coldly said, “Get down.”

Without needing to be told twice, Lu Ran jumped off eagerly.

He excitedly went to open the door.

He pushed open the door to the private room.

Some dishes had already been served.

Since it was just the two of them eating, the spread wasn’t extravagant.

There were only a few plates of signature small dishes.

But there was a round cherry chocolate cake placed on the table.

“Why aren’t you coming in?”

Ji Min gently pushed the boy’s waist from behind.

Lu Ran made a small sound and walked in.

He glanced at Ji Min.

Ji Min’s wheelchair was positioned on the other side.

Lu Ran looked again before slowly sitting down in front of the cherry chocolate cake.

He asked, “Aren’t you eating?”

Ji Min raised his eyes and looked at the boy, who was staring at the cake with his mouth watering.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“After seeing that whole scene you put on, not everyone could still maintain an appetite for this kind of cake, like you do.”

Every time he closed his eyes now, he could still see Shen Xingyu’s face covered in cream and grass scraps, dripping down.

“Really?”

Lu Ran was pleasantly surprised and immediately picked up a spoon. He scooped a piece of cake and put it in his mouth.

The interrupted satisfaction was finally back.

With each bite, he seemed even happier.

His cheeks puffed up, like a little hamster sneaking a snack.

But this also made the red marks on his face even more prominent.

Ji Min watched for a while, then lowered his gaze, focusing on the patterns on the plate.

He didn’t eat much.

By the time Lu Ran had already devoured nearly half of the cake, Ji Min slowly spoke, as if casually chatting: “Have you considered living on your own?”

“Huh?” Lu Ran thought for a moment and replied, “I originally planned to stay in the dorm, but the dorm doesn’t allow me to keep Da Huang.”

“Renting a place is too expensive, and…” Lu Ran squinted, taking a big bite of the cake, “Why should I go live elsewhere?”

Ji Min pinched his chopsticks, contemplating how to bring up the idea of having him stay at his place.

He was also thinking about whether this suggestion was too unreasonable.

But while he was lost in thought, Lu Ran confidently sneered and said.

“Heh, it’s just Shen Xingyu. Not a big deal.”

Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? Then why didn’t you just kick Shen Xingyu into the pool?”

Lu Ran’s movement of eating the cake paused for a moment.

“He was too far away. I couldn’t reach him.”

Ji Min glanced at him but didn’t say anything more.

After they finished eating, at Lu Ran’s request, Ji Min still drove him back to the Shen family home.

Normally, he would just drop him off nearby and leave.

But this time, he specifically parked in front of the Shen family villa’s gate.

He watched as Lu Ran got out of the car, and then stayed for a while longer.

He lowered the window and gazed at the boy, who looked as though he were heading into battle.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Call me if you need anything.”

Lu Ran looked at him strangely.

But then he touched his still slightly swollen cheek and suddenly understood. He gave Ji Min an “OK” gesture.

“I get it. I’ll make sure I don’t ruin my looks!”

The ex-boyfriend of the boss—how could he ruin his appearance!

Ji Min didn’t quite understand what he had gotten.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered the car window.

He waved for the driver to start the car.

The car had only gone a few meters when he suddenly said, “Go back.”

The driver silently put the car in reverse.

When they returned to the Shen family’s gate, Lu Ran had already gone inside with Da Huang.

Ji Min rubbed his forehead and sighed.

He didn’t get out of the car, just waved at Butler Chen in the front seat and gave some instructions.

By the time Lu Ran got back to the Shen house, it was already very late.

He happened to run into Shen Xingyu, who was just returning from being out.

Shen Xingyu had already tidied himself up and, even in the middle of the night, was dressed in a sharp suit.

It was hard to imagine that not long ago, he had been in such a messy state.

Upon seeing Lu Ran, Shen Xingyu first furrowed his brow slightly.

He glanced outside, then asked, “You and Mr. Ji…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Before Lu Ran could answer, Shen Xingyu noticed the red marks on the boy’s face. He looked at the time, sighed, and said, “Never mind. Go get some rest.”

Lu Ran glanced at him but didn’t speak. Instead, he led Da Huang toward his room.

Just as he stepped into the first-floor hallway, Shen Xingyu called after him, “Come back. Where are you going?”

Lu Ran rolled his eyes dramatically. “Back to my room. Should I stay here and rest?”

Shen Xingyu frowned again.

“You’re staying on the first floor?”

When Lu Ran didn’t respond, he lifted his hand to pinch his brow, sighed lightly, and said, “What kind of look is this?”

He dropped his hand and returned to his usual cold, stern expression. “Move to the second floor.”

Without giving Lu Ran a chance to refuse, Shen Xingyu called over a passing servant and ordered, “Clean up the room on the east side of my room on the second floor and move his luggage up there.”

The servant looked at Shen Xingyu, then at Lu Ran, hesitating. “What about sir and madam’s room…?”

“Even so, he can’t stay downstairs.”

After giving his orders, Shen Xingyu didn’t look at Lu Ran again. He loosened his tie and headed upstairs.

But the boy behind him suddenly spoke up. “I’m not going to the second floor.”

Shen Xingyu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him.

Lu Ran yawned and said with disdain, “You all live on the second floor. I find it annoying to stay up there.”

Shen Xingyu’s brows furrowed tighter.

He said firmly, “Move upstairs. If you stay downstairs, what will outsiders think?”

Lu Ran rolled his eyes again.

Suddenly, he thought of something and clapped his hands in delight.

“Or you could make Shen Xingran move down from the third floor and let him stay in the servant’s room on the first floor. Clean up the room on the third floor for me, and I’ll go live there.”

Shen Xingyu turned around to look at him, his voice cold. “I’m not in the mood to play games with you.”

Lu Ran only smiled in response.

“It’s you who wants me to move. When I say I’ll move, you say I’m causing trouble. Little Mr. Shen, you’re really something.”

“Little Mr. Shen” is the title outsiders used for Shen Xingyu.

Finally, Shen Xingyu looked directly at the boy in front of him.

He stared at the boy’s dark, obedient eyes as if there was something he couldn’t quite figure out.

“How come you…”

But Shen Xingyu still didn’t finish his sentence.

He wasn’t one for meaningless words.

At this moment, he realized that Lu Ran wasn’t just messing around—he was seriously bargaining with him.

The man pondered for a moment and then said, “I’ll let you stay on the third floor, but he won’t move to the first floor.”

The door to the third floor wasn’t closed.

Madam Shen was sitting in the small living room on the third floor, comforting Shen Xingran.

When Madam Shen heard that Lu Ran had collided with Shen Xingyu, she immediately perked up, grabbing Shen Xingran’s hand and saying, “We need to have your older brother teach him a lesson so he knows his place.”

However, when she heard that Shen Xingyu was actually planning to move Shen Xingran out of the third floor, she couldn’t sit still anymore.

Before Shen Xingran could say anything, Madam Shen couldn’t hold herself back.

She slipped on her slippers and walked into the corridor, raising her voice, “I disagree!”

Hearing her voice, Shen Xingyu’s temple twitched in frustration.

It seemed that because Shen Xingyu had returned to the Shen family recently and had been a bit colder toward Shen Xingran, Madam Shen had developed an overwhelming sense of maternal responsibility.

Without her protection, wouldn’t Shen Xingran be kicked out of the Shen family?

“Mom, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Shen Xingyu said tiredly.

“After everything that happened today, how could I sleep?” Madam Shen replied, walking down the stairs step by step.

She furrowed her brows as she looked at Shen Xingyu. “Xingyu, what’s going on? How can you kick Xingran out?”

Shen Xingyu took a deep breath, trying to calmly talk to her. “Mom, I’m not kicking anyone out. I just asked him to move to the second floor.”

“He’s always lived on the third floor. Now, you suddenly want him to give it up. Do you think he’ll be okay with that? Have you considered how your brother will feel?” Madam Shen asked.

Shen Xingyu pressed his fingers to his forehead, turning his gaze to the lightening sky outside the window.

He replied, “But you can’t have him stay in the servant’s room on the first floor.”

Shen Xingyu rarely mentioned “Shen Xingran” or “Lu Ran” by name.

It took Madam Shen a moment to realize that the “he” in his words referred to Lu Ran.

“What do you mean?” Madam Shen’s tone suddenly became urgent. “Are you blaming me? Blaming me for not being a good mother?”

Shen Xingyu opened his mouth but didn’t offer an explanation.

Madam Shen stared at her eldest son, her eyes immediately filling with tears.

“Shen Xingyu, do you have no conscience?!”

“Do you remember when your grandfather took you away when you were little? He was so strict with you. Every time you saw me, you would cry and ask when you could come home!”

“You know exactly what your grandfather is like. I risked offending him to personally bring you back and raise you by my side. What right do you have to criticize me?”

“Mom, I didn’t mean…” Shen Xingyu’s voice softened.

“Go away! I don’t have a son like you without conscience!”

By the time these two were arguing, Lu Ran had already taken Da Huang and returned to his room.

From the beginning, he hadn’t expected Shen Xingyu to help him move rooms.

He was also not interested in the argument between this mother and son.

At this point, he had already packed the clothes he wanted to wear happily and picked up the dog’s pet shampoo.

Carrying the basket, he led Da Huang into the public bathroom on the first floor.

When he finished washing both himself and Da Huang and stepped out of the bathroom, the house had quieted down.

Lu Ran returned to his room and found a servant waiting at the door.

The servant was holding a cherry cake and looking at Lu Ran with a peculiar, almost reassessing gaze.

When Lu Ran approached, the servant respectfully said, “This is the cake Young Master asked me to bring to you, along with this tube of ointment.”

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